I question if a cycling helmet will save you at those speeds since they don't cover the lower half of your head.

A bike helmet won't protect you at 15% of those speeds, and it's nothing whatsoever to do with the coverage. They simply aren't designed for it.

ttakata73 wrote:

When you get old, you tend to worry more.

I guess from your user name you are 40 now, me too. I'll still happily top 100kph coming down any slope it's possible to do so. Once you get much over 60-70kph, the chances of serious injury are so high, adding another 40 kph is almost irrelevant. Though I do make sure I can see where I'm going, can see what's coming up the road and am at the back of the group. (So I at least know there is some margin for error on my part, as 20 riders have already cleared the way........) And I don't leave bikes with niggling faults either. I've seen a lot of people hooning down mountains, with buckled wheels, brakes that judder and pulse, bald tyres, indexed headsets and so on!

FWIW, I agree with legs11, no way that's 130kph, 110 maybe. Which is still motoring.

Ok the question remains is if this has been done with rim brakes... Watching the video I assumed he had rim brakes and a regular fork. That frame and fork is far from flimsy along with disk brakes anybody could feel confident with that. Put your butt on rim brakes, regular carbon with aero rims with a slight side wind and see if you can make those straights and turns at that speed.

One of my pals (who is also a weeny) crashed on that descent a couple of years back. He was doing well over 70-80 kph.I'm suprised he hasn't added anything to this post!...lol. A bit of first hand experience. Ripped the head tube right out of his C50......lots of gravel rash, busted up bike and a couple of nasty bruises, but he came away from it relatively unscathed.Scared the shit out of me when we checked the state of the bike, and the massive flat spot on his skid lid So there's evidence that a lid would be of some use even at that sort of speed (I don't think he would have escaped a massive injury without a lid on)Supposedly actually safer to fall at higher speeds as you tend to slide rather than bounce........Although I think I'd just take their word for it as it all sounds pretty painful to me. I still remember his thoughts about sticking to the bed clothes.......ouch!

Maybe ...just maybe in the trees he was a titch over 60mph, but even that is pure speculation. With guys like this telling me they rode that fast, the first thing I want to see is their speedo and how THAT was set up. I've done 70 mph motor pacing 6 inches off the back of my training vehicle going down Ibex pass just outside of Death Valley Junction back in the day, and had a very difficult time hitting 60mph down Emigrant pass in Death Valley at 170 lbs training weight with a 53x12 on a 20 lbs.steel frame. Heck, with a 53x11 there simply would not be much of a gear left for me to slam much over 52mph these days ... at my advanced age.

And GoPro? They have the worst distortion of any camera I have ever seen. I mean just look at what 40kph (not even 25mph)looks like when he goes by the speed check sign. It looks "quick". Most of us are asleep at that speed and on impulse power.

And while I'm dumping on this guy, I'll also mention that he didn't hit ONE technical corner correctly. A real "noob" despite the fact that he can go downhill at speed in a straight line. If you want to learn how to crash ...enter each and every turn exactly the way he does it. That is: Never go in deep and cut the apex early i.e. Which puts you EXACTLY in the wrong place!!!

That's 30km/h over my comfort zone. No thanks.Also, was the road closed to vehicles that day or is that lack-of-traffic common?(I've yet to climb Ventoux, I am not familiar with its non-bicycle traffic)

I'm with barsook the tech corners were pretty poor like he's not willing to lean it over very much and his entry points too tight with very wide exits, given him no where to go if he gets a line wrong or hits a bump he's gona be off into the bank real quick, also he had the leg out on every single corner. Not much use having a nice tuck then sticking out the leg as far as it'll go on every corner you may as well sit up into every corner. Still he really is ripping through the tree section. Maybe redbull can by him a hero3 gopro the video footage is pretty crap

1. As has said before, that's 50 kph faster than he really reached. And that's being optimistic...2. About a helmet... it's not so clear cut. You usually don't go head first. If it happens it's game over (Wouter Weylandt), but in general you roll/slide etc. And even at higher impacts, a helmet absorbs at least the first part of the blow, so it always will help (just not enough in some sad cases). It's everyne own choice, but the argument that they only help at low speeds is wrong.

In general: having children and becoming older changes perception for a lot of us. I now know that I'm not immortal

When I was twenty I descended at ful speed, even with traffic. Madness. Nowadays I stop for every traffic light, try to avoid motorized traffic (rather ride a few km more) and even sometimes go to full stop if there's a lorry on a small road and I wonder if he sees me. I lost a few too many friends at the cycling club who did not realize their fragility.

Initially I got a bit angry with all the "wussy" responses as personally I found nothing alarming in that video, apart for a few seemingly blind corners where he went on the opposite side, but even they did not seem full on wreckless as the speed was controlled and also don't forget that he probably saw a lot more than in the video - just watch his head move by the shadow where you can see the road after a corner if you look to the side.

Franklin - yeah get the old age making you feel mortal. It's a blend of experience of crashes and consequent realizations. There is a decent where you can hit 85kph if you get into a good tuck and just before the steepest section (where you'd be doing around 60-70 already) there is a crossroad, admittedly very quiet, but just after a blind corner. I used to go through the entire descent at full speed but then something made me think about it - if there was a car pulling out and one coming the opposite way I would not have anywhere to go at all as the road is narrow - more or less just enough for 2 cars. So now I touch the brakes for that bit to give myself a chance to stop.

I guess if people had a few bad crashes or had something happen to them/those around them it really can change perspective a lot, to the point where you might be going down hills with brakes engaged and simply wondering at how those people in front of you are so freely disappearing at speed.

I went down col du galibier on a specialized allez '10 with a rear rack and panniers and was surprised at how many people I passed on road bikes - especially with the problem of flex in the rack/frame from panniers and subsequent effect on stability, seemed like some large ride/event. I think it comes down to how comfortable and used to the bike you are. On my Allez I really really felt connected to it, and also all the flex in the frame I find beneficial on a decent as it basically gives you more suspension.

The video quality is a lot worse that usual I think down some software used to correct camera shake - hence all the distortions you see. As for 130kph.. don't know tbh was surprised to get Ventoux and that figure used together.

Even with a stonking tailwind you can't get much past 60mph due to wind resistance. And you can't pedal it any faster as 53x11 at 120rpm is only 45mph so this all must be down to the slope (which isn't more than 12% on Ventoux) and the tailwind. So you are saying you can get 81mph just from a big tailwind? Yeah right.

As I say 65mph max, in the real world. And 'GPS verified' means nothing. I've regularly had recorded GPS speeds of 75mph in the Alps but they weren't real. Truth was mid fifties.

I guess GoPros are good at making video look fast with their distorted lenses.I have videoed myself in a car at 130mph around a racetrack with a regular handheld video camera.The video playback looked like I was going 30mph, it was so boring to watch unless it was sped up by 8x.

I guess GoPros are good at making video look fast with their distorted lenses.I have videoed myself in a car at 130mph around a racetrack with a regular handheld video camera.The video playback looked like I was going 30mph, it was so boring to watch unless it was sped up by 8x.

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